Socially Responsible Investment
Overview \
Support Organizations \ Models
& Best Practices
Research Resources \ Articles-Publications
SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
As You Sow
www.asyousow.org
As You Sow was founded in 1992 and now comprises two programs that
strive to increase corporate accountability. The Environmental Enforcement
Program seeks to reduce and remove carcinogenic exposures by pursuing
compliance with California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement
Act. In 1997, As You Sow launched the Corporate Social Responsibility
Program (CSRP) to use shareholder advocacy and the financial markets
to catalyze positive change within public held companies. To date,
the group has participated in more than 50 shareholder dialogues
or resolutions and has conducted more than 25 shareholder solicitation
campaigns.
Business for Social
Responsibility
www.bsr.org
Business for Social Responsibility, founded in 1992, is an association
of companies that aim to reconcile their commercial and social responsibility
goals. Members range from mid-size businesses such as Tom's
of Maine to large Fortune 500 firms.
Calvert
Social Investment Foundation
www.calvertfoundation.org
The Calvert Social Investment Foundation (Calvert Foundation) works
to end poverty through investment. It serves as a facility to place
capital on softer terms to finance affordable homes, fund small
and micro businesses and to make available essential community services.
Calvert Foundation's broader objective is to create "community
investment" as a new asset class in the financial services
industry. (As noted above, Calvert is working with Co-op America
on a campaign to direct a percentage of social investment fund assets
to CDFIs.)
Ceres
www.ceres.org
Ceres is a national network of investment funds, environmental organizations
and other public interest groups working to advance environmental
stewardship on the part of business. For instance, in May 2005 at
the United Nations, Ceres brought together representatives of U.S.
and international pension funds representing $5 trillion in capital
to address the profound investment risks and emerging business opportunities
driven by climate change.
Co-op America
www.coopamerica.org
Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded
in 1982. Co-op America has a membership base of over 50,000 consumer
activists and 2,500 responsible businesses (the Co-op America Business
Network). Co-op America publishes the National Green Pages, hosts
the Social Investment Forum, and promotes a variety of fair trade
and socially investing programs. (As noted above, Co-op America
is working with Calvert on a campaign to direct a percentage of
social investment fund assets to CDFIs.)
Corporation
20/20
www.corporation2020.org
Coming out of the movement for corporate social responsibility and
organized by Business Ethics magazine and the Tellus Institute,
a Boston-based nonprofit, Corporation 20/20 aims to move beyond
calls for corporate social responsibility to develop new “rules
of the game” in areas such as director duties, capitalization,
liability, and accountability to make corporate social responsibility
not just a good thing to do, but a requirement of doing business.
Council of Institutional
Investors
www.cii.org
The Council of Institutional Investors is an organization comprised
of large public, labor and corporate pension funds. Founded in 1985,
the Council today has over 140 pension fund members whose assets
exceed $3 trillion, and more than 130 educational sustainers.
Institutional
Shareholder Services
www.issproxy.com
Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) is the world's leading
provider of proxy voting and corporate governance services with
over 20 years of experience. ISS serves more than 1,600 clients
worldwide with its core business — analyzing proxies and issuing
informed research and vote recommendations for more than 33,000
companies.
Interfaith Center
for Corporate Responsibility
www.iccr.org
For over thirty years the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
(ICCR), an association of 275 faith- based institutional investors,
has been a leader in the movement for corporate social responsibility.
ICCR and its members press companies to be socially and environmentally
responsible. Each year ICCR-member religious institutional investors
sponsor over 100 shareholder resolutions on major social and environmental
issues. The combined portfolio value of ICCR member organizations
is estimated to be $110 billion.
Net Impact
www.netimpact.org
Net Impact aims to support the growth of a network of leaders who
use power of business to make a positive net social, environmental,
and economic impact. With more than 125 student and professional
chapters on 4 continents in 75 cities and 80 graduate schools, a
central office in San Francisco, and partnerships with leading for
and nonprofit organizations, Net Impact enables members to use business
for social good in their graduate education, careers, and communities.
Responsible
Endowments Coalition
www.sriendowment.org
The Responsible Endowment Coalition is a diverse network of students,
alumni and faculty dedicated to advancing socially and environmentally
responsible investing (SRI) of college endowments. Founded in 2004
by students from a number of East Coast-based universities, the
coalition has expanded to include groups across the country on over
three dozens campuses.
Social Investment
Forum
www.socialinvest.org
The Social Investment Forum is a national nonprofit membership
association dedicated to promoting the concept and practice
of socially responsible investing. The Forum is made up of
over 500 financial professionals and institutions. Its website
offers a wide range of information, contacts & resources
on socially responsible investing.
Social Venture
Network
www.svn.org
Founded in 1987, Social Venture Network is a nonprofit network
committed to building a just and sustainable world through
business. Social Venture Network advocates for a “triple
bottom line” of economic, social, and environmental
returns and maintains a number of resource links on its web
site.
SRI in
the Rockies
www.sriintherockies.com
SRI in the Rockies is a forum that brings together leaders in the
socially responsible investment industry in the United States. First
held in 1990, SRI in the Rockies provides a venue to meet and learn
from passionate, creative people from all corners of the social
investment community.
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